On the same day the United Nations report on Extreme Poverty was released. the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) embarked on their deceptive puff piece on Universal Credit. However, all did not go according to plan. Activists and unions send the host paper, the Metro Free Newspaper, a strong message by starting a campaign to bin the papers. I
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Today saw the long awaited report from United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston. Alston visited the UK last November and was highly critical in his initial findings. The full report is damning about the Conservative’s use of austerity. Due to the length and content of the report, I’m breaking it down into a
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MPs from all parties yesterday showed that they’re not taking the issue of poverty seriously. as only 13 bothered to turn up to debate a scathing UN report. Yesterday evening was the first chance MPs had to debate the findings of the United Nations Report on Extreme Poverty & Human Rights in the UK and NI. Despite this, only 14
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Yesterday at Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used his questions to highlight the poverty crisis created by the Tories. That’s a good thing, right? Well the mainstream press didn’t seem to think so. Jeremy Corbyn stood up in the House of Commons to ask his allotted questions yesterday and he didn’t lead on Brexit as expected. Instead, he
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Amber Rudd used her first appearance in the House of Commons as Work and Pensions Secretary to blast the recent UN report as “wholly inappropriate” due to it political language. What was noticeable however was the lack of denial that any of the facts in the report are correct. For anyone who thought that Esther McVey’s departure from the Department
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Kwasi Kwarteng has only just been promoted to a junior ministerial role and he’s already drawing attention to himself. Appearing on BBC Sunday morning political show Marr, the MP for Spelthorne gave a frankly disgusting response when he was confronted with a story of a deaf child who’s unable to speak & walk and faces losing her home because of
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Professor Philip Alston, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights will deliver the preliminary findings of his investigation into UK poverty tomorrow. Conveniently for the government, the mainstream press will likely be to busy covering Brexit to push the findings. This will be the fifth, (yes fifth), report by the UN since 2010 and although
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Guest Contribution By Lizzie Fletcher & Lucy Wood of Unity News As I’m unwell my fellow independent journalists have stepped in to help me out. I am very grateful for their kindness. The United Nations previously reported on the poverty crisis affecting the UK as a result of the Tories austerity policies but the Government have ignored it. This time
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The Times have reported that Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has told Cabinet colleagues that about half of lone parents and nearly two thirds of couples with children would lose a whopping £2,400 a year. Tory MPs are finding it harder to defend the under fire benefit as they deal with more and more cases related to Universal Credit
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Data released in a Freedom of Information request (FOI) by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows between 2010 and 2014, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants with a mental health condition were 5 times as likely to be sanctioned than those with other health conditions. The FOI request submitted by Jack Dutton on whatdotheyknow.com asked for; “A graph showing the employment and
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Universal Credit is never far from the top of news results these days. Whether it’s another damning report on how it’s causing hardship or a whistle-blower exposing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failings, you can be sure that it’s never good news. However Wednesday saw the fledgling benefit come under attack from all sides. It started at Prime
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The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) are sending a world renowned human rights and law Professor to the UK in November. What won’t please the government, is that he has asked for public submissions to aid him in his investigation. This will make it hard for the Tories to spin as teething issues. The United Nations Human Rights Council
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